the cherry blossom aesthetic
by the milliner's rook
Summary: AU. Everyone gets thoughts like that once in a while. Even best friends.


**rule number one (you gotta have fun)**

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"It's just for two weeks," Karin says, attempting casual, as she shrugs and looks away. Her face is doing that thing again, that tell-tale bite of the lips, which happens when she's resolutely ignoring her face going bright red. There's something charming about it, Toushirou has thought, ever since he's known her. "Yuzu's got this crazy idea that…"

He waits for her to continue. She doesn't.

"That?" Toushirou prompts, unable to quell his curiosity, or the chance to see Karin fluster even more. Her cheeks darken more than he's ever thought possible.

"That this is the year that she's going to meet her true love," Karin says, words tumbling out of her in a rush. He blinks, she laughs, lips left quirked in a smile. "Crazy, right?"

"Age fifteen, huh," Toushirou muses, arms crossed over his chest. "That sounds—"

"—straight out of shoujo manga, I know," Karin says, arms akimbo. Despite her embarrassment, amusement rings clear as glass. Meaning that it's not the subject matter that bothers her, but the fact that for some reason, Yuzu requires him, has asked Karin to ask for her.

"And why does she want my help?" Toushirou asks, careful to get the facts straight before he accepts. Absently, he wonders if it's better to have Yuzu part of the conversation, instead of having Karin be the middleman. It's not like his decision would change.

"She needs a boy's opinion," Karin states bluntly, shrugging.

"So for two weeks you want me to date her and tell her that she looks pretty, just so that she can meet someone on the first day of school?" Toushirou says, leaning forward, trying to gauge her reaction, scour her face for some detail she's neglected to tell him, for whatever reason that might be.

No matter how he looks at it, the situation seemed odd.

"No," Karin snorts, indignant, staying exactly where she stands; her expression stone cold, solely conveying annoyance. "Definitely not. It's not _dating."_

"Then what is it?" Toushirou asks, certain that however his question is going to be answered, it's too late to get out. He's become involved now. His curiosity is piqued and Karin has never blushed more.

"It's _role playing_ ," Karin huffs, state grey eyes staring him down, daring him to say otherwise. "So? What do you think?"

He takes a moment to look at her, ebony lashes framed against her cheekbones, the uncertainty in which he holds in her suspense. Whether he'll say yes or no. When Karin had called him up, he'd been happy to meet with her, but he'd never expected anything like this.

"What the hell," Toushirou sighs, ignoring every instinct that says this is a bad idea, and shoves his hands in his pocket. It could be fun. He's got nothing better to do. "Why not?"

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He doesn't know what to expect.

Truth be told, Toushirou has never interacted much with Karin's older sister. They say hello and goodbye to each other when they cross paths, Karin always present. Conversation is limited because Karin tends to grab him without thinking, and Toushirou is more than happy to follow.

The only fact he has of this is that Karin doesn't mind her sister's role playing experiment nearly as much she'd initially lead him to believe. Karin's adoration of her sister is obvious, just as much as she masks her affection with teasing remarks, especially when her sister's head is up in the clouds, where Cupid stays his boy until the perfect time.

Imagine his surprise, then, that for the past five minutes, the first time they are alone in a room together, Yuzu is nothing but silent. She spends most of those five minutes opening her mouth and then closing then, on the brink on saying something, and then at the last second, refraining.

Feeling like he's an exhibit at a museum, Toushirou speaks, temper fraying slightly. "Do you want me to get Karin?"

"No!" Yuzu squeaks, cheeks flushed red like cherries, voice softer than he remembers. "Sorry, Toushirou-kun, I'm just… nervous."

"About?" He asks, not unkindly. Part of him still considers that this is some sort of prank, or elaborate scheme, where Karin sets him up with Yuzu. She'd insisted that wasn't the case, though, rolling her eyes and acting incredulous, telling him that he would know if it _was._

"Talking," Yuzu says, apprehensive. "To boys."

"You have a brother," Toushirou points out, not understanding what she means. "And you've talked to me before, Yuzu. Besides, you've seen Karin talk to me plenty of times. What do you have to be nervous about?"

"But the first impression!" Yuzu exclaims, full of passionate, and it takes a second for Toushirou to realize that perhaps that maybe he hadn't thought this through to say yes so easily. "And it's not the same. Ichi-nii is family, and you're… Karin-chan's friend. I'm saying that first impressions are important. They're everything! By speaking, some of that impression is going to change, right? Because the first words you say will determine forever how that person sees you! Whether they like you or don't like you, or even, something _more!_ I mean there's an entire world of difference between saying everything that comes to mind, or saying very little, and saying little but with purpose or wit! The first impression you are solidifies you as a type, and I just don't know which type I am _or_ which is the most attractive!"

Toushirou hadn't really believed Karin when she said that Yuzu had turned boy-crazy, but he does now.

He still feels some concern for Yuzu when she takes a deep breath, inhaling heavily, chest heaving; her face going bright red.

Still. It feels like he's understands her better than before, and Toushirou takes a moment to process Yuzu's words, touched that she trusts him with this. Sifting through her fervent words until he can simplify it, he says nothing.

"I see," Toushirou murmurs, furrowing his brows. He hadn't really seen Yuzu as the babbling type, recalling from the few conversations that Karin had mentioned her, that Yuzu had been described as a different person. But then, again, it could just be the nerves.

"So, what type do boys like?" Yuzu presses, intent, all of a sudden free of her worries, now that she's said all of them out loud, and he made sure to give no reaction on his face. The directness of her question startles him, seeing for the first time a resemblance between the two sisters. Now that he's seen the glimmer of steel, the chances are that she's equally alike in stubbornness, if not temperament.

"I think that depends on the individual," Toushirou frowns, thinking about it, and knowing by the 'harrumph' that Yuzu utters, it's not an answer she's satisfied with and he's going to have to do better than that.

He could say the argumentative type, the ones who bicker and are loud and upfront, refusing to budge an inch. Or the sporty type that become too easily muddy, knees scraped, legs bruised because they're full of energy on the playing field, and grin feral that is aimed for the opponents eyes only. Then there's the type that he doesn't really know how to describe, the type that are unexpectedly kind, eyes soften in understanding, and masquerade their affection with some deadpan remark, not standoffish in personality, so to speak, friendly from the start, but more thoughtful than first perceived.

Toushirou changes tack, recollecting the heroine qualities that Momo admired most. The classic type.

"I'd say that the graceful feminine type is pretty popular," Toushirou offers, eventually, and it feels like an olive branch. "I know that the cute type is also liked."

"Huh," Yuzu nods, contemplating, much calmer now, much more cheerful and brighter like he's used to in the fleeting moments that they've spent together before now. "Cute or graceful. Interesting."

"Why not both?" Karin says, leaning on the doorway, a lopsided smile on her face, bluntly announcing that she wanted to play _Sengoku Basara_ with Toushirou.

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"You think it's going to work?" Toushirou finds himself asking later, as they walk side by side in a slow lazy manner, their shoulders bumping once every often.

"I don't know," Karin admits, a little bit wistful, "it would be nice if it did."

"Why do you think she's doing this?" Toushirou inquires, wondering if there is in fact an answer besides the obvious. The twitterpated season has finally arrived and now it would never leave them.

"The thirst is real," Karin deadpans, her expression decidedly grave, an effect ruined by her bursting into laughter, and adding, "I'm in the mood for milkshakes."

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Yuzu, it turns out, is more thorough and methodical about this than Toushirou assumed she would be. After giving her a goal that's feasible, she's listed several variables that are of the utmost importance. Namely, the various aspects of image.

The first variable is hairstyles.

"Wait a second, I thought I was just the photographer," Karin quips, holding the camera in her hands. It's not a statement of outrage, just mild bemusement. " _Now_ you want to rope me into this?"

"But Karin-chan!" Yuzu whines, and it's a sound altogether reminiscent of a kicked puppy. Privately, Toushirou thinks he can hear the sound of a supremely effective guilt-tripping, the eventual resignation into agreeing.

Not many can refuse Yuzu, it seems, a power that she wields with absolute ruthlessness.

"But nothing. I agreed to help you." Karin says, sternly, though anyone can recognise that it's half-hearted at best, "You said nothing about this."

"It was implied and you know it!" Yuzu says, quickly adding, "Think of it as a starting point for the future."

"That's if I want to date boys," Karin rolls her eyes, unable to hold that aloofness for too long, eventually smiling softly at her sister. "Fine, then. You win."

"Success," Yuzu cheers, embracing her sister affectionately.

Toushirou lets them have their moment, then coughs, drawing the attention to him.

"What do you want me to do?" Toushirou asks, not knowing which one to look at, as Karin wordlessly hands over the camera, a passing of the mantle.

"Just tell us which is our best look," Yuzu chirps, much more at ease now that she's realized that she can ask him anything, and he answer it, no matter how begrudgingly, as long as he finds it within reason. Her smile is serene.

Karin's staring at him, though, like if he doesn't say something smart or say all of them then he's fired.

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It's not as bad as he thought it would be.

The waiting part is tedious, but Karin and Yuzu chatter amongst themselves, and keep the conversation entertaining. With her sister besides her, Yuzu is more relaxed, closer to what Toushirou imagined her as, though there are moments from time to time that make him wonder how the two are related, since they're so different.

Toushirou smiles. He can't help it, the entire role playing debacle is ridiculous, and it turns even goofier when Karin bares her teeth and makes it look like she's growling instead of smiling, and Yuzu turns especially coquettish, eyes wide, her hand over her mouth in the pantomime of surprise. They strike pose after pose, hairstyles varying from pigtails and ponytails, wearing headbands and plaits, accompanied with frowns and silly faces, the music of laughter never too far behind. Karin snickers, ebony locks freely tumbling over her shoulder, like a wild stallion.

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"So what do you think? Loose hair or tied up?" Yuzu asks, as the pictures upload on the computer, focused on the most likely candidates that will work for attracting a boy's eye.

Both work, no matter what the preferred combination is. But Toushirou has a feeling that neither of them will accept that, this thoughts casting back to the moments where Karin pushed her hair back behind her ear, annoyed that her rebellious locks of hair decided to disregard her.

"Tied up," Toushirou decides, on a whim, and then freezes for a moment because Yuzu has a rather expectant gaze, which he takes to mean that she'd like to know the reason why. "It suggests the hard working type, which also suggesting gracefulness."

Karin snorts, well aware that he's uttered nothing but white lies, and he can only shrug when he catches her eyes. He's not an expert on this. He doesn't know _why_ they'd come to him for this, as happy as he is to help.

He knows what he likes and what he doesn't. Whether it aligns with the popular opinion, he doesn't know, but then he's not entirely sure it matters.

"You're right!" Yuzu's eyes light up, excited once more, clicking on a picture that has them posing proudly, warriors of the great pancake war. "After all, tying your hair up reveals the neck!"

"Yes. That. Exactly," Toushirou agrees instantly, the words comprehensible, but the logic not as much. But it doesn't take too long in Yuzu's presence to learn that it's better to just go with it.

"So?" Karin frowns, equally as lost. "Explain."

"The neck!" Yuzu says excitedly, arms flapping, and then pointing to the picture. "It shows off how graceful you are! Like a swan!"

He can't fault her there.

Toushirou makes a non-committal sound. "Swans do have long necks."

"Yes," Yuzu nods, vigorous, "and they are graceful."

"So what you're saying is that we have long necks?" Karin asks, droll, a fond smile pulling at the corner of her mouth, smirking as she relishes the moment.

"I'm saying that we have _graceful_ necks," Yuzu declares proudly, " _like_ a swan! Don't you agree, Toushirou-kun?"

"Yes," Toushirou nods, noticing for the first time, a glint of danger in those eyes. "Completely."

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"What do you think, really?" Karin asks, one afternoon, glistening in sweat, the soccer ball halted under her foot. "Is this a sexy swan neck?"

He turns to look at her, skimming his glance and cataloguing at how her fingers are tangled in hair, pulled to one side of her neck, even if it is in a ponytail. He's never noticed it like this before, never once considered her throat to look… well.

Inviting, almost.

It sounds like dangerous territory, and he snorts, shaking the sudden spell of strangeness off.

"Sexiest swan neck I've ever seen," Toushirou says, smirking when it gets the desired reaction: Karin's mirth, her head thrown back as she laughs into the sky.

"You're full of shit," she says, grinning.

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The makeup stage is a disaster from the get go.

It takes a few days to get it right, no matter how many videos and magazine Yuzu scours. It takes practice, Karin huffs, and it's not _fair_.

"At what point did you turn into racoons?" Toushirou asks, not sure whether he should offer them tissues or directions to the nearest zoo. He takes a photo nonetheless. It's for progress. Science. Role play. Something along those lines.

Yuzu looks like she's about to cry.

" _Hey,_ " Karin snarls at him, and it's weird seeing his best friend as a racoon, but it's _true._ Karin is a racoon, and an angry one at that, and he's sure that if he talked again he would run his mouth and state something stupid like they also look like zombies and ghosts and insomniacs.

It won't stop him from thinking it, though.

"I've never seen such pretty racoons," Toushirou says, because his mouth apparently doesn't listen to his brain. It's a blessing that his mouth seemed to pay attention to his mind to an extent, and decides to lie to their faces but also not lie because it's true. He hasn't seen a lot of racoons in his lifetime, let alone pretty ones such as the ones in front of him. He may not be very good at white lie compliments, but he can try. He'll get the hang of them eventually. "Look. I'm taking a photo."

"Guyliner is a thing," Karin says, gleefully not even attempting to hide her vindictiveness. "Who knows? It could be yours."

Yuzu looks entirely too hopeful.

"I thought I was only supposed to be offering opinions," Toushirou states, flatly, beginning to wish he'd never offered one in the first place. It was becoming increasingly evident that that was a mistake. A big one.

"Yeah, same here," Karin says, unimpressed, the eyeliner in her hand.

"… fine," Toushirou frowns, resigned to his fate, "turn me into a racoon."

"Oh no," Yuzu says, giggling, and a word dangerously close to _evil_ flashes in his mind. "Not us. _You."_

He all but snatches the eyeliner from Karin's grasp, and suppresses a sigh. He dug his own grave, now he has to lie in it.

Keeping his mouth shut, and trying to ignore their eager gazes which is _not at all distracting_ , he tries to mimic their actions. His hands are clumsy and unrefined, and however bad this gets, the least he can do is attempt to avoid jabbing himself in the eye.

If Karin and Yuzu look like racoons, then he looks a million times worse.

Slowly, Yuzu raises the camera and takes a photo of him anyway.

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Lipstick is a much more successful venture.

"Soft pink or hot pink or something more… red?" Yuzu hums, talking more to herself than him, as she mulls over the selection of five that they bought. Lipsticks of a different colour, the less natural looking ones, they were for another time.

"I don't mind, just pick one," Toushirou says, slightly impatiently.

"This one!" Karin decides, grabbing one and hands another to her sister. "We're going to go through them all anyway."

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Pink suits Yuzu. The softer, girlish pink that is slightly darker than her natural lip colour, slightly shiner, emphasis what he likes about her. That's she's fun and bubbly and bright, making her be ever cuter than Yuzu already is.

Rouge though, is alluring on Karin. He doesn't know how to explain it, but there's something seductive about it, that takes longer than he'd like for him to not stare at her lips. Not that he'd admit that.

It's just that her mouth looks lovely in dark red, stealing his breath away even as she winks and smirks mischievously at him that leaves him feeling confused.

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"I think we're ready for shopping!" Yuzu announces jubilantly, after Karin and Toushirou have decided to take a breather from soccer practice.

"Just get what you think is cute," Toushirou says, deciding to put his foot down. He can role play, but this is suspiciously getting to dating territory. Not that he minds shopping for clothes, it's just that he'd rather eat something at the moment and think of something else.

"That's the plan! I'm looking for something that says _I am cute and I am graceful,"_ Yuzu says, with dramatic flourish and it's charming.

"Rukia was good at that," Karin muses, "remember her love for Chappy?"

"Ah!" Yuzu gasps, clicking her fingers, "a hinted side!"

"Yup," Karin says, unable to suppress a beautiful smile. "Something like that, at least. How does that sound, Toushirou?"

It startles Toushirou that Karin is asking for his opinion about this. Maybe Karin is a bit boy-crazy too, her curiosity more toned down and less apparent than Yuzu's. He doesn't know why that catches him off guard to the extent that it does.

"Yeah," Toushirou says, gruff without meaning to be, only realizing that he was too slow to reply and must. "Sounds good."

"Attractive, right?" Yuzu says, beaming, oblivious to his reaction.

"The most," Karin says, snickering, evidently enjoying his lapse in judgement, or whatever that moment was that left him feeling askew.

"Come on," Toushirou says, and pushes Karin in the direction of the nearest ice cream truck that he spotted twenty minutes ago, muttering, "The hunger is real too."

"My hero," Karin knowing what he means, and looking so pleased with herself. Delighted, would be the more fitting expression. "You're paying, right?"

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He tries to imagine a feminine Karin. A Karin who acts more like her sister, with open smiles and wears skirts and dresses without complaint, instead of faded jeans or shorts. He can't picture Karin choosing to wear girly colours and pretty accessories instead of her usual stance when she crows her victory in boyish clothes and gloats when she wins in _Tekken_.

It's been interesting though, watching Karin explore this side of her. And he likes Yuzu, the _joie de vivre_ that she brings.

"You look adorable," Toushirou says, dryly, unable to keep himself deadpan, as Karin appears before him, her cheeks pink, her loose hair shiny like molasses.

As it turns out, Karin and Yuzu are too lazy to go on an actual fashion trip and instead choose to explore each other's wardrobe. So when he sees Karin in Yuzu's floral skirt and leggings, a pastel pink top that makes her look demure, he can't help but smile.

The thing is, he's not lying about this. Karin _does_ look adorable, even if it maybe sounded like he was teasing her, waiting for Yuzu to join her. He wished he knew how to take it back, rephrase it in a way that made her refuse to look at him and stare at the wall instead, biting her lip self-consciously.

Briefly, he wonders what Karin would be like if she added that red lipstick to her current appearance, if it would match the flush on her face, enhance it, somewhat. He wonders what it would do to her smile.

"I feel like I've turned into Yuzu," Karin says softly, pink glazing her cheeks.

"There are worse people to be," Toushirou says, fiddling with the camera in his hands. He has to do something while they wait, and Karin hasn't asked for her photo to be taken just yet. He could comment that he doesn't think that's the case, and instead, lightly says, "It's not like I haven't seen you in a skirt before."

"Oh, right," Karin says, when he reminds her about school, "Uniform is mandatory though. At least leggings exist."

"They help?" Toushirou asks, not sure why they're speaking in murmurs.

"A little," Karin admits with a smile, pulling herself from the slump she was in. Then she looks to him and brightens, tries to play it off as a joke. "So what do you think? Is this the new me?"

"Karin," Toushirou says, not sure what he's going to say but he has to hold her gaze. That he thinks that she's fine, however she decides to be. Sporty, girly, she looks good, and she shouldn't be insecure when she's so—

And then Yuzu appears, in tomboyish attire, the ripped jeans and blunt, brash tank top, accompanied with a too big sweatshirt.

While Yuzu carries the reckless fierceness well, there's something so goofy and comic about her stance that means it can't be maintained, and when Toushirou takes a photo of her, it look like Yuzu is pouting.

He's very quick to reassure her that she looks very cute like this. Yuzu hasn't achieved gracefulness yet just, at least, not in the tomboy archetype, but she's certainly mastered the art of cuteness. Karin, too, he adds, stressing his sincerity.

Karin smiles at him, relieved, and he smiles back.

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"I like this new side of you," Toushirou tells her, later, as they lie sprawled on the hill, waiting for the sunset and staring at the clouds instead, never mind the grass stains.

"Yeah?" Karin tilts her head towards him, eyes warm. Her lips are hot pink today, and every once in a while, Toushirou finds himself flickering back to marvel at the change it makes on her, allure it brings. He's known from the beginning that Karin has a very pretty smile, but now it's become enhanced and impossible to ignore. "Thanks. I like it too."

"Good," Toushirou grins, and stills, quietly realizing that maybe friends shouldn't have thoughts like that. That he shouldn't look at his best friend like how he is at the moment.

It's nothing, he tells himself, trying to suppress a sudden feeling of confusion, wretchedness and guilt.

Everyone gets thoughts like that once in a while.

Even best friends.


End file.
